Plant for towing vessels or ships on waterways



March 24, 1925.

A. H. MLLER PLANT Fon 'rowme vEssELs on sans on wusnwus 2 Sheets-Sheet'1 Manch 24, 192s. 1,530,849

' A. H. MLLER PLANT FOR TOWING VESSELS 0R SHIPS ON WATERWAYS FildSept.4. 1924 y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

miren. 1 jsim'me `iivirici'iii HUGO MLLER; 6F :BLANKENESE NEAR IA'MBURG,GERMANY;

immo: een T'owiire weeen-is im 'SHIPS eN wimiiwive.

Applicafien inea 'September 4, 19M. eerie; iin. "'i'eam iis of die'without preventing' a` Certain 'lipL :mii ewiv 'tinck L2 :ie linked iio" 1th@ @gell Well "as te e' hei' side; fn my peeiiii'ofi @he @eine 5mid "6 with plne een be :11-

memiied ietata'fbly afi; on `a ehouideie of Elie bie'dket'f? in suh Waytliit item1 'oseiilate iii ay vertical .piane similar to the.'osillaiery fi'aiiiel, Gand the piston `rod 'h is linked te ldie m'mi152 fit i. When 'new "the 'c'liiyring niehanisi'n. l aiteis itsyvertical position with regard 'to lche"Vessel the 'pieten Within Heiyte fiile veeeel.

VSi)

Such a Y the cylinder will be reciprocated. The brake fluid within thecylinder will' escape from in front of the piston by the circuit pipe 7cand enter again the cylinder behind the piston. TNhen the circuit ishindered or completely prevented by more or less closing the valve Zalso the movement of the piston 7L and thus that of the oscillatoryframe 5, 6 is hindered or prevented.

In order to make the braking elastic to the desired extent, at the topof the circuit pipe k on both sides of the valve Z a small tank m isarranged, which is only partly filled with brake fluid, but above whichthere is air thus forming; an air tank. The air lwithin these tanksforms an elastic cushion or buffer, as is well kno-wn in the common airvessels, but also serves for allowing for differences in temperature ofthe brake fluid. These air tanks are con- ,nected by a valve a, withinthe circuit pipe example obtained by elastic rods, however,

the fluid brake has the advantage of greater simplicity and regularity.

The brake can also be used in any other connection between ship anddriving mechanism which is freely movable in vertical direction, that isto sayit is not limited merely to the use of the oscillatory frame. Theconstructions-shown in Figs. 2 and 3 have the advantage thatthe drivingmechanism running along the track is so yieldingly supported on thevessel, that slight variations in the distance between ship and trolleycan be automatically outbalanced but that greater changes in thedistance will be overcome by a special adjusting device.

The trolley or driving mechanism 1 running along the track 2, which ofcourse, as in the construction described above, can be used as a drawingtrolley, as well as a checking trolley, is here also guided parallellyby the oscillatory frame with the bracket `7 rotatable about a verticalaxis. rIhe position of the driving mechanism or trolley with regard toits height is dependent on the length of the stay rod 25, which connectsparts of the parallel oscillatory frame 5, 6 diagonally, so as todetermine its. shape. The length of the rod 25 can be varied. In theconstruction shown in Fig. 2 the adjustment of this rod can be obtainedby a turn buckle 26, and in the construction shown in Fig. 3 by anhydraulic lifting appliance. The rod 25 having at its end a piston 71,can be reciprocated in the cylinder z" filled by a suitable fluid, forinstance glycerine, and pivoted rotatably at Zu on the bracket 7. Thepiston ZL can be reciprocated within the cylinder z" by the iiuid in thecircuit pipe Z moved from in front of' the piston to the back of thepiston. When the valve m is opened the driving mechanism will be loweredby its own weight and by shutting up the circuit the driving mechanismis held at the adjusted position. When the driving mechanism is to beraised fluid must bepressed into the cylinder z", for instance by thepump n. `The work necessary for this operation however is so great thatin the propermoment the operator cannot carry it out by hand. In orderto save mechanical power for the pump the pressure pump n is not allowedto operate the circuit pipe Z directly but first on an f air tank o', inwhich a pressure can e created, the fluid being taken from a balancingtank p. When in case of need the valves g and r are opened, thecompressed air within the tank o will press the fluid into the cylinderz" thus forcing the piston h to move in the desired direction, whilefrom the other side of the piston the fluid is allowed to escape to thebalancing tank p. In this way power is accumulated in the most simplemanner enablingy the-operator to carry out this work at leisure time, soas to have kfirst necessary to fill it as well as the tank 0 with acertain amount of air, so as to create the necessary pressure by the aidof a suitable pump u, while the other tank t need only contain a littleair of atmospheric pressure.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 a spring 27 is used instead of thepneumatic buffer arrangement for sake of simplification. This springbuffer need of course not be directly pressed within the stay rod 25 butmay as well be arranged in the driving mechanism 1 or in the oscillatoryframe 5, 6 or in the rotatable bracket 7 and its connection. TheAconstruction shown in the drawing has the advantage of greatersimplicity and also guarantees the vertical guidance of the drivingmechanism 1. 'Io prevent the ship from pressing against the track 2owing to inadvertancy of the operator or crew' in operating theadjusting device the diagonal rod 25 will not be made rigid but insections and the two sections connected elastically or connected by alink 28.

By these devices slight alterations in the height of the drivingmechanism 1 can be automatically outbalanced, while greater alneaeeeterationspvvhich for instance will be necessary in passing bridges orlocks, can be carried out by the aid of the adjusting device.

I claim: i l. The combination with a vessel of a trolley adapted to runalong an overhead `track and mounted loatingly on the vessel,

means to automatically changethe angle of.

the said oscillatory frame to the horizontal and means to retard thevertical movements of the trolley.

3. The combination with 'a vessel of a trolley adapted to run along anoverhead track, an oscillatory frame carrying said trolley and mountedrotatably on the vessel, means to automatically change the angle oic thesaid oscillatory frame to the horizontal and a fluid brake to retard thevertical movements of the trolley.

4. The combination with a vessel of a trolley adapted to run along anoverhead track, an oscillatory frame carrying said trolley and mountedrotatably on the vessel, means to automatically change t-he angle of.the said oscillatory traine to the horizontal and a fluid brake toretard the vertical movements of the trolley, a circuit pipe in whichthe fluid brake is interposed and an air tank communicating with thecircuit pipe and adapted to act as an elastic buiai'er.

5. rlhe combination with a vessel of a trolley adapted to run along anoverhead track an oscillatory frame carrying said trolley and mounted onthe vessel, means to automatically carry out slight changeset the angleor' the said oscillatory frame to the horizontal and nie-ans to carryout consider'-l able changes of the angle of that part of theoscillatory frame carrying the' trolley.

6, The combination lwith a vessel of a trolley adapted to run along anoverhead track, an oscillatory frame carrying said trolley and mountedon the vessel, means to automatically carry out slight changes of theangle oit-the said oscillatory frame to the yhorizontal and means tocarry out considerable changes oil the. angle of that part of theoscillatory trame carrying the trolley, and means to retard themovements of the trolley When carrying out the said changesl of theangle. y

7. The combination With a vessel of a -trolley adapted to run along anoverhead track, an oscillatory iraine vcarrying said trolley and mountedon the vessel, means to automatically carry out slight changes `of ythe. angle of the said oscillatory frame to the horizontal and means tocarry out considerable changes of the angle oft that partoftlieoscillatory lframe carrying the trolley, comprising an hydrauliccylinder, a piston and a piston rod forming vpart `of the oscillatoryvframe. y

8. The combination With a vessel of a trolley adapted to run along an`overhead track, an oscillatory frame carrying said trolley and mountedon the vessel, means to automatically carry out slight changes of theangle olf the said oscillatory trame to the horizontal and means tocarry out consid` erable changes of the angle of that part of theoscillatory frame carrying the trolley, comprising an hydrauliccircuitfpipe, an hydraulic cylinder communicating with saidcircuitfpipe, a piston and a piston rod forinl i ing part of theoscillatory 'trame and an air tank communicating' with the circuit-pipeand 'forming a pneumatic bunder.

ARTHUR HUGO kMLLER.

